This page is a resource for families and school administrators regarding Public Health information, reflecting the Santa Cruz COE’s commitment to the health and wellness of our students, as well as our ongoing programs and partnerships. Find out more about our behavioral health and wellness work here. You can also find information on Santa Cruz COE’s official Facebook and Instagram pages.
Preventing the Spread of Illness
As a preventative measure, we encourage all students, staff, and parents to take common-sense precautions to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases, including common illnesses like colds and the flu. Such precautions include:
- Stay home if you are sick. Those who have a fever should go home and stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever without the use of fever-reducing medicine.
- Promote hand hygiene among students and staff through education, scheduled times for hand-washing, and ensuring the availability of soap, water, and hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Teach and encourage safe cough etiquette – cough or sneeze into a tissue, sleeve, or arm (do not use hands).
- Provide routine surface cleaning
- Consider not attending large gatherings, as this is where cold, flu, and other respiratory viruses often spread.
GUIDANCE FOR SCHOOLS
CDPH Guidance for TK–12 Schools and Child Care Settings to Support Safe In-Person Services and Mitigate the Spread of Communicable Diseases, for the 2024-2025 School Year has been updated. This guidance is now in “Evergreen status” which means the guidance will be updated on an as needed basis.
As of March 10, 2025, below are the changes for the CDPH Guidance for TK–12 Schools and Child Care Settings to Support Safe In-Person Services and Mitigate the Spread of Communicable Diseases, for the 2024-2025 School Year:
- Removed reference to 2024-25 School Year in guidance title. This guidance will now be updated on an as needed basis. It will not be updated at the beginning of each new school year.
- Removed references to Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Non-Emergency Regulation and Prevention Requirements, as these expired on February 3, 2025.
- Removed reference to the COVID-19 Workplace outbreak guidance. For COVID-19 outbreak guidance, see the Influenza, COVID-19, and Respiratory Illness Outbreak Quicksheet (PDF) for details.
- Added link to new Indoor Air Quality Improvement Training videos.
Students & Families
Latest Updates Regarding Safe Learning
CA Safe Schools for All Parent Page
Community Resources and Support Services
Resources for Promoting Hand Hygiene and Wellness:
Center for Disease Control (CDC) videos for good hand washing techniques
Life is Better with Clean Hands Campaign – Print & Digital Resources
contact information
COVID-19 Protocols for Schools
(831) 466-5904
covidprotocols@santacruzcoe.org
OPIOID & Overdose PREVENTION
Opioids including fentanyl continue to pose a threat to the Santa Cruz County school community due to the high risk of accidental overdose.
In partnership with the Santa Cruz County school districts and SafeRx Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education promotes age-appropriate overdose awareness and prevention training for both staff and families as one way we work to ensure the safety of our school community. These efforts include:
- Distributing “Let’s Talk” booklets to families of students entering 9th grade in English and Spanish, to raise awareness and facilitate conversations about substance use and mental health
- Holding staff trainings on use of naloxone and establishing naloxone policies within all districts
- Expanding partnership with SafeRx Santa Cruz County coalition
- Participating in SafeRx Santa Cruz County’s youth-focused fentanyl town hall
Naloxone (Narcan)
Naloxone, brand named Narcan, is an FDA-approved medication that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.
As of the 2022-23 school year, all Santa Cruz County school districts and the COE have Naloxone available on each high school campus, as well as staff trained in its use. The COE is working in support of expanding the availability of Naloxone, both on-campus and within the community.
Schools and eligible community partners are able to order Naloxone free of charge through the Department of Healthcare Services Naloxone Distribution Project. Eligibility requirements and an application form are available online on the NDP website. For technical assistance, Santa Cruz County school staff may contact School-Based Health Manager Heather Thomsen at hthomsen@santacruzcoe.org.
Resources
Santa Cruz County Narcan Distribution Sites